Python and SQL Lead IEEE's 2024 Programming Language Rankings

Summary

Sources

spectrum.ieee.orgspectrum.ieee.orgspectrum.ieee.org

Welcome to IEEE Spectrum’s eleventh annual rankings of the most popular programming languages for the year two thousand twenty-four. This year’s rankings continue the tradition of merging multiple metrics from various sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the current trends and demands in the programming world. Three distinct meta rankings have been established to offer unique perspectives: Spectrum, Trending, and Jobs. The Spectrum ranking is tailored to reflect the interests and profiles of typical IEEE members, providing insights that are particularly relevant to professionals within the electrical and electronics engineering fields. This ranking is heavily weighted towards metrics that align with the technical interests and professional activities of IEEE members. The Trending ranking, on the other hand, is designed to capture the zeitgeist. It leverages data from forums, social media, and other platforms to identify which programming languages are currently gaining traction and popularity among the broader programming community. This ranking is particularly useful for those looking to stay ahead of the curve and identify emerging trends. Finally, the Jobs ranking focuses on the demands of the employment market. It aggregates data from job postings and employer requirements to highlight which programming languages are most sought after by employers. This ranking is invaluable for job seekers and career planners who aim to align their skills with market needs. By combining these three meta rankings, IEEE Spectrum provides a multifaceted view of the programming landscape, offering valuable insights for professionals, educators, and enthusiasts alike. At the top of the rankings, Python continues to cement its overall dominance in the programming world. This enduring popularity is largely driven by Python’s robust ecosystem of libraries, particularly those tailored for artificial intelligence and machine learning. Libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn have become indispensable tools for developers working in these cutting-edge fields. Python’s simplicity and readability also make it a preferred choice in educational settings. For many students today, Python is often the first programming language they learn, setting a strong foundation for their future in computer science. Python’s appeal extends beyond academia and innovative tech projects. It is highly favored by employers across various industries. However, in the job market, Python’s lead over other general-purpose languages isn’t as pronounced. It frequently finds itself playing a complementary role to SQL, the database query language. SQL holds a unique position as a critical skill that employers look for, often in conjunction with another language, including Python. SQL’s importance in the job market is a natural response to the modern emphasis on networked and cloud-based systems architectures. As organizations increasingly rely on these architectures, databases have become essential repositories for the vast amounts of data processed by various applications. SQL’s ability to efficiently manage and query this data makes it an invaluable tool for developers and data professionals alike. Employers value both Python and SQL for their specific strengths and applications. Python is prized for its versatility, ease of learning, and powerful libraries, making it ideal for rapid development and complex problem-solving. SQL, on the other hand, is indispensable for tasks involving data retrieval, manipulation, and management. Its structured approach to handling data aligns well with the needs of modern, data-driven businesses. The combination of Python and SQL skills makes candidates particularly attractive in the job market. Python’s ability to handle diverse programming tasks, coupled with SQL’s prowess in data management, equips professionals with a comprehensive toolkit to tackle a wide range of challenges in today’s technology landscape. This synergy between Python and SQL underscores their continued prominence and the high regard in which they are held by employers across various sectors. While stalwarts like Python and SQL maintain their dominance, the programming landscape is also witnessing the rise of newer languages like Typescript and Rust. Typescript, a superset of Javascript, has climbed significantly in the rankings, particularly in the job market. Its primary differentiator from Javascript is its enforcement of static typing. This means that the type of a variable—whether it’s an integer, floating point, text, and so forth—must be declared before it can be used. This feature allows for more rigorous error checking when Typescript programs are compiled into Javascript, enhancing reliability and reducing bugs. This increase in code reliability has proven appealing to many developers and employers, driving Typescripts ascent. Rust is another language gaining traction, particularly for system-level programming. Unlike C and C++, Rust boasts memory safety, employing various techniques to ensure that programs cannot write to locations in memory that they should not. This feature addresses a major source of security vulnerabilities, making Rust an attractive option for developing secure and efficient system software. Rust’s rising profile has been significantly boosted by a February cybersecurity report from the White House, which advocated for memory-safe languages to replace C and C++ in critical systems. This endorsement has likely contributed to Rusts increasing popularity and adoption. New entrants to the rankings this year include Apex and Solidity. Apex is tailored for building business applications that utilize a Salesforce server as the back end. Its design is optimized for enterprise environments, making it a valuable tool for developers working within the Salesforce ecosystem. Solidity, on the other hand, is designed for creating smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. As blockchain technology continues to grow and integrate into various sectors, Solidity’s relevance and demand are expected to rise correspondingly. Amid the emergence of these new languages, some older giants are experiencing a decline. The C programming language, once a cornerstone of software development, has seen its popularity wane. It has dropped from fourth to ninth place in the Spectrum ranking and from seventh to thirteenth in the Jobs ranking. Despite its decline, C remains fundamental in many existing systems and applications, though it is increasingly being replaced by languages that offer stronger safety features, like Rust. Despite these shifts, some older languages continue to hold their ground in specific niches. Fortran and Cobol, both around sixty-five years old, still find relevance in particular sectors. Fortran is often sought after in high-energy physics applications, areas requiring specialized knowledge and security clearances. Cobol remains crucial for many government and financial systems, which rely on decades-old infrastructure. The recent Cloudstrike and Microsoft Windows outage incident has likely reinforced the need for these stable, albeit antiquated, systems. As the programming landscape evolves, it is clear that while new languages rise to meet modern challenges, older languages retain their importance in specialized applications. This dynamic interplay between emerging and established languages continues to shape the future of software development.